Public Space,Inequality and Health: Interaction and Social Welfare in Rural Peru

Abstract

Social policy initiatives that actively promote greater interaction between the state and civil society are an increasingly important component in the politics of poverty reduction and the promotion of better health for poor people. To address local inequalities, and to strengthen rural economies, local societies and local public services, the government in Peru has introduced a new public space that is designed to incorporate ordinary people into the planning, implementation, administration, management and supervision of public activities. Instead of facilitating cooperation at the district level, this article shows that the idea of people working together and helping each other is undermined by the dislocation of the new public space from the political, cultural and geographical conditions under which social interaction takes place.